An interesting debate appears to be brewing in the world of home energy management: Will we choose to be more energy efficient in our homes by looking at solutions targeted at certain devices and appliances, or will be opt for intelligent whole-house controllers that can automate our energy savings throughout the house?

Bill Ablondi, director of home systems research at research firm Parks Associates, sees more targeted solutions in the home, rather than whole-house automation. “For example, the water heater is keeping my water warm when I’m not home, and I don’t need that. Or I can gradually heat and cool my home, instead of it coming on all at once,” he says.

According to a recent report by Parks Associates, by 2015 there will be 10 million independent residential energy management services versus 6 million put in place by utilities implementing smart grid programs. Parks will be covering its report in more detail, as well as discussing consumer attitudes, at its Smart Energy Summit, January 24 to 26 in Austin, Texas.

Ablondi’s more targeted energy management prediction, however, is countered by some who see more all-encompassing home systems solutions. Treehugger’s Jaymi Heimbuch reports that at a recent session at the Consumer Electronics Show, CNET Senior Editor David Katzmaier and Natural Resources Defense Council Senior Scientist Noah Horowitz favor the whole-house approach. 

Heimbuch reports:

Katzmaier noted that as consumers, we’re more likely to invest in a whole-picture technology like a smart home rather than individual products that have to each be managed.

Katzmaier’s sentiment was echoed by Horowitz, who stated, “Intelligent dashboards are a ripe technology.” Indeed this seems to be the case as we’ve seen a rise in start-ups finding solutions for helping homeowners and business managers monitor and minimize their energy use. This interconnectivity of a whole home, the panelists noted, is where real energy efficiency will begin.

I second that sentiment. Home control networks that can be programmed to monitor energy and automatically turn devices off or down will help many homes and businesses become more efficient. We already have this technology in the form of energy monitors and home control systems—as well as new smart or network-controllable appliances soon becoming available.

Not only will these systems help to optimize a home’s efficiency, they will free people from having to become actively engaged in energy efficiency.

We will soon see systems that can not only set appliances and other devices to operate during a utility’s cheapest rate period, but that can also switch a homeowner to a different rate plan that proves more economical.

In the next few years, as more electric vehicles (EVs) are charged in homes, we may home controllers to program smart charging options at the most economical times and possibly utilize the electricity from a car’s battery to help power devices in the home.

As consumers, we will only have to be engaged when we receive an alert on our smart phones or other devices, informing us of a utility rate change or an appliance or circuit using too much energy and requiring servicing, for instance.

All very, very cool. And it should not be far off.

More Targeted Solutions in the Short Term?

In the meantime, though, Ablondi’s contention that we may see more targeted solutions such as turning off water heaters, appliances and controlling our thermostats from afar seems more likely in the short term. Many may opt for these solutions as they learn what is possible in energy management and become accustomed to it.

I see these point-by-point solutions as more of the entry level to intelligent whole-home systems. We are already seeing many plug-load controllers that can monitor the energy use and control individual appliances, for example.

Also consider that the entities most apt to expose consumers to in-home energy efficiency are the big broadband providers like cable, telco and security companies offering mass-market “connectivity” solutions, with limited energy management in the form of adjusting thermostats and managing some lights. Over time, these systems should grow into whole-house energy management networks.

So in my opinion, both sides are correct. First we are likely to see more targeted solutions, which will mature into whole-house connectivity solutions. That doesn’t mean intelligent whole-house energy management can’t take place now; we should see more energy monitors being connected to home control systems this year. It may just take a little longer for this concept to catch on.

Steven Castle - Contributing Writer

Steven Castle is Electronic House's managing editor. he has been writing about consumer electronics, homes and energy efficiency topics for two decades. He is also the co-founder of GreenTech Advocates.